Packed with information and analysis on key trends, games and industry players in the mobile, smartphone and iPhone markets, the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Trend Report 2010 is available to order now. 

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If 2009 saw an explosion some sectors of the mobile games industry, 2010 is the year for capitalising on those opportunities, while working hard on plenty of other exploding sectors. 

Those developers and publishers who enjoyed success on the App Store last year are already investing their riches into new games and platform expansion, while the feelgood factor around smartphones as a whole is enticing more entrants into the industry.

Crystal ball-gazing is a risky activity, however. The global recession of the past 18 months has revealed once again the vulnerability of concrete market predictions to external shocks.

For this reason, we prefer to survey the market to identify emerging business issues and opportunities. True, such an approach provides only modest protection against being wrong – most pundits expected Android to make more of an impact than it did in 2009, for instance, while few anticipated how quickly prices would collapse on the iPhone’s App Store.

Yet the tactical approach has the distinct advantage of identifying the situation on the ground, and areas that mobile games leaders can and must respond to in the year ahead.

Below, then, you'll find five key trends we expect to shape the mobile games business this year in summarised form (the full analysis – along with additional trends – is published in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Trends Report 2010):

1. The importance of middleware & connected platforms

The twin trends of developing for more smartphone platforms and making richer games will see renewed importance placed on middleware, and social networks that work everywhere.

2. Discovery moves beyond the Top 100 charts

Discovery and recommendation were talking points in 2009 due to the failings of the main app stores, and the efforts of thirdparty start-ups to fill the gaps. The question of effective discovery is only becoming more important in 2010.

3. Non-traditional opportunities abound

There may be plenty of pure iPhone developers right now, but there is also a trend for mobile games firms to look beyond mobile devices to other connected platforms, such as tablets, that will suit their skillsets and portfolios.

4. Emerging markets come back onto the radar

In recent times, the excitement around emerging markets has dimmed in comparison with the buzz around iPhone, Android and other smartphones, which in turn involve an increased focus on the big Western markets.

But smart publishers will continue to explore the rapidly evolving opportunities overseas, especially in terms of the ad-supported Asian sector.

5. New revenue models will be increasingly important

If the latter half of 2009 was about experimenting with in-app payments to see what models worked, 2010 will see a much more wholehearted embracing of micro-transactions, virtual items and subscription-based billing.

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For the full analysis (and complete set of 2010 trends), please consult the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Trends Report 2010.